Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are brain development disorders that affect 1 in 68 children and result in an average spending of more than 6 times the cost in medical expenditures as compared with unaffected children according to the CDC. See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014 Mar. 24), Autism Spectrum Disorders Data and Statistics, available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html. ASDs disrupt basic prenatal and postnatal processes essential to the normal growth of the nervous system. Recent research has implicated a variety of neuroanatomical areas in the pathology of ASDs, including the cerebellum, hippocampus, and amygdala. See Bauman, M. L., & Kemper, T. L. (2005), Neuroanatomic observations of the brain in autism: a review and future directions, International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 23(2-3), 183-187.
Abnormalities in these and other areas result in deficiencies in cognition as well as perception and communication of emotions. More broadly, the National Institutes of Health define ASDs as “a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior.” See Office of Communications and Public Liaison (2014, April), Autism Fact Sheet, available at: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm. These symptoms greatly diminish the quality of life of afflicted individuals due to the resulting struggle to form meaningful relationships, and of caregivers who must cope daily with autistic individuals. A hallmark of ASDs is a difficulty with emotion recognition, which can create social barriers and hinder the formation of meaningful relationships.
Specifically, patients with ASD cannot understand emotions such as happiness, sadness, or anger from spoken voice, a basic process that usually occurs naturally in others without ASD. See Myers, S. M., & Johnson, C. P. (2007), Management of children with autism spectrum disorders, Pediatrics, 120(5), 1162-1182. To a large extent, this symptom alone prevents autistic individuals, notably children, from creating the emotional attachments that foment strong mental, intellectual, and emotional growth. In addition, this inability to read emotions detracts from much simpler everyday interactions by stifling communication. Current methods of treatment and remediation, particularly for children, include specialized education, behavior and social skills therapy, and placing affected individuals in highly structured environments, all of which have met with limited success. See Office of Communications and Public Liaison (2014, April), Autism Fact Sheet, available at: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm. These approaches limit rather than enable the breadth of the child's interactions within the greater community. Furthermore, they are costly in time, effort, and dollars, demanding patience and draining energy from caregivers.
These and other deficiencies exist.